When Calls The Heart: Season Three -- Part II
by lsockett
Summary: Elizabeth and Jack have been married almost a year and are living in Hope Valley. Then Elizabeth receives a telegram that changes everything . . . .
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Telegram

Elizabeth Thornton watched as her students ran out of the schoolroom at the end of the school day, eager to play outside for a few hours before it got dark. The last few days, even Elizabeth had found herself lingering by the windows of the school house, soaking up the rays of the sun now that spring had finally arrived in Hope Valley after a long, cold winter.

Elizabeth quickly packed up her belongings, including her students' tests and essays that she would spend the evening grading. Elizabeth did not mind working at night – it kept her busy during the weeks that her husband, Jack Thornton, was away from Hope Valley, visiting the other towns in the Canadian Northwest Territory that he was now responsible for as the new Regional Officer for the Royal Northwest Mounted Police.

Elizabeth was proud that Jack had gotten a promotion, but inwardly chafed at the amount of time his new job required him to be away from her and Hope Valley. "Don't they know he's a newlywed?" Elizabeth would grumble to herself, alone in her bed, on the many mornings Jack dutifully pulled himself away from her warm embrace to leave town on another set of rounds.

The winter months had been particularly hard on Elizabeth, especially in contrast to the warm and fun-filled honeymoon Elizabeth and Jack had enjoyed the summer before, traveling across Canada on their way to Hamilton, Ontario, to visit Elizabeth's family, the Thatcher's. On their previous visits to Hamilton, Jack had not been well received by Elizabeth's wealthy, status-conscious family. Last summer, finally, the Thatcher's treated Jack with the respect due to him as Elizabeth's husband, and father of the child that Elizabeth realized she was carrying just a few weeks after reaching Hamilton.

Elizabeth's own father, the shipping magnate, William Thatcher, had honored Jack and Elizabeth at the wedding of Elizabeth's older sister, Viola, to British aristocrat, Sir Lionel, by toasting Jack and Elizabeth as well as Viola and Lionel in front of all of Hamilton society, essentially putting his stamp of approval on both marriages. When Elizabeth unfortunately miscarried on the way back to Hope Valley a few weeks later, her father and mother were nothing but understanding and supportive of the young couple, offering to help in whatever way possible. Of course, the kind of help Elizabeth and Jack needed at that time, they could only find from each other, and from their faith in God and the support of their friends in Hope Valley.

Upon returning to Hope Valley, Elizabeth threw herself back into teaching, and Jack resumed his Mountie duties, which kept their minds off of their loss. Once Jack got his promotion, though, and was gone more, Elizabeth could not help but wonder what life would have been like if she had been able to carry her baby to term. Those long, lonely hours at night, missing Jack, and thinking about what might have been, took their toll on Elizabeth.

Elizabeth shook her head to clear her mind from those depressing thoughts. Elizabeth focused on the letter she had just received from Jack which contained the happy news that he expected to be back in Hope Valley within the next few days. Elizabeth began to think about all she needed to do to prepare for Jack's arrival and welcome him back home.

Elizabeth closed the school house door behind her and started walking briskly towards Abigail's Cafe. Elizabeth was grateful that Abigail had rebuilt her café – which had suffered fire damage last spring - to include a small apartment in the back, where Elizabeth and Jack now lived. Even though their apartment had a kitchen, Elizabeth often dined in the main room of the cafe when Jack was gone, to socialize with Abigail and the other townspeople (and to avoid having to cook, which was still a work in progress for her).

Elizabeth soon reached her apartment at the back of Abigail's café, and was about to let herself in the door, when she heard Ned Yost from the Mercantile running across the street and calling to her, "Elizabeth . . . Elizabeth . . . there's a telegram for you!" Elizabeth turned to face Ned, dreading the news. "Is it Jack? Is it from Jack? Is he okay?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.

Ned stopped in his tracks, not knowing how to respond. "I think you should go in and sit down first, before reading this," Ned cautioned. Elizabeth started to falter, and Ned grabbed her arm to help her through the door. As Ned led Elizabeth to the sofa in her living room, he called over his shoulder, "Abigail . . . Abigail . . . can you hear me? I think you need to come here."

Elizabeth looked up at Ned and demanded, "What is it? Please give me the telegram." Ned handed over the piece of paper. With shaking hands, Elizabeth quickly read the text. "No . . . no . . . this can't be," Elizabeth started to wail. Abigail came running into the room, through the door that connected the apartment to her back parlor.

"Ned, what is it?" Abigail called out, as she saw Elizabeth shaking her head and crying, "No . . . no . . . please God . . . ."

Ned turned to Abigail and explained, "It's from Elizabeth's mother. Apparently, Elizabeth's father was on that ship, the Titanic, when it sunk, coming back from England. He . . . he . . .didn't make it."

Abigail gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Abigail quickly knelt down on the sofa and put her arms around Elizabeth. "Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Abigail said consolingly.

It was two days after April 15, 1912, the day the Titanic sank, and as of that day, the lives of the Thatcher's and the Thornton's would never be the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Bad News Travels

Jack Thornton was in his cabin packing up his belongings for his trip home to Hope Valley, when he heard a knock at his door. "Constable, there's a telegram for you at the trading post," reported one of the fur traders from Fort Smith, the village in the Northwest Territories where Jack had been patrolling the past few weeks. Jack sighed at the thought of having to go back out in the cold to walk the mile back to the trading post. Dutifully, Jack put his boots and coat on, and covered his face with his scarf, to face the icy wind that was ever present in the village, even in April.

On the trail back to the trading post, Jack's let his thoughts wander to Elizabeth, as they usually did. Jack wondered what Elizabeth was doing at that moment, and thought about the letter he was planning to write to her that evening. Now that Jack was gone so much in his new position, he was trying to be better at letter writing, to maintain as much of a connection to Elizabeth as he could when they were apart.

Jack knew that Elizabeth was unhappy about him being away so much, and debated whether he should bring Elizabeth with him on future assignments. True, some of the villages under his purview were in very remote locations, but there was always a cabin maintained for the Mountie Patrol. Jack conjured up an image of Elizabeth waiting for him back at his cabin, lying alluringly on top of the fur pelts on his cot, her long, chestnut hair tumbling down her back, the light from the fireplace shimmering in her eyes.

Jack stopped in his tracks and chastised himself – he was letting his imagination run wild! Better to focus on getting back to Hope Valley – and Elizabeth - as soon as possible.

As Jack approached the Fort Smith trading post, he worried that the telegram would be from Mountie Headquarters assigning him additional, remote territories to patrol. Jack took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to face his fate.

The man behind the desk at the trading post took one look at Jack and turned to retrieve an envelope from one of the mail boxes. "This just came for you," he stated, looking at Jack curiously as he handed him the telegram. Jack took the telegram and read it quickly. Jack furrowed his brow and reread the telegram more slowly, not quite understanding its contents.

The man, who had been watching Jack, chimed in, "It's about that ship, the Titanic, isn't it. I've been getting lots of dispatches about that." The man pointed to a pile of notes sitting on the desk.

Jack looked up from the telegram and asked, "What do you know about it?" The man picked up some of the notes and started reading from them. "They say the Titanic was the biggest ocean liner ever built. It took three years to build it, and it was supposedly unsinkable. But wouldn't you know it, it sank on its very first trip out to sea. It was going from England to the U.S. - it hit an iceberg a few days into the trip. There weren't enough lifeboats for everyone, so only about half the passengers survived – mostly women and children. Terrible tragedy."

Jack whispered, "My goodness," under his breath as he reread the telegram yet again. Jack remembered Elizabeth telling him that her father had travelled to England in March to meet with some British investors and to visit Viola and Lionel, who had just returned from a "Grand Tour" of the continent.

Jack rubbed his temples as he considered what to do next. Jack strode over to the man at the desk and declared "I need to send a telegram to Mountie Headquarters right away." Jack knew where his duty lay, and he needed to make haste.

Over a thousand miles away, Elizabeth found herself in Hamilton, sitting in a car outside her house, dreading the thought of going in. Elizabeth could not bear the idea that she would never see her father again in the very house where his presence loomed so large. Elizabeth covered her face with her hands, unable to summon the energy needed to rise from her seat.

Just then, Elizabeth felt a man's strong grip on her arm – she looked up to see Charles standing over her. "Elizabeth, let me help you," Charles implored, opening the car door and assisting Elizabeth down the car steps. Elizabeth could barely get out an, "Oh Charles," before she crumpled in his arms, weeping. Charles let Elizabeth cry on his shoulder, trying not to let her see how much he relished holding her in his arms, even though she was now married to another.

After a bit, Elizabeth separated herself from Charles, somewhat embarrassed by her display of emotions. Elizabeth wiped her face and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Charles. I just can't seem to stop crying." Charles nodded and answered, "I know how you feel. Your father was like a father to me too. I'm just as devastated." Charles held out his arm to escort Elizabeth into the house, and Elizabeth took it, silently acknowledging how much she needed someone to lean on at that moment.

The house seemed strangely silent. Elizabeth asked, "Where is everyone?" Just then, Elizabeth's Aunt Agatha, dressed in black, came out to the foyer to greet them. "Oh Elizabeth, I'm so glad you're here. Your mom is resting up in her room – she's hasn't been doing too well, as you might imagine. Your sister, Julie, is finishing up an exam at her nursing school, but should be home soon." Elizabeth leaned over to hug her Aunt. Aunt Agatha looked behind Elizabeth at the door. "Where is Jack? Wasn't he able to come?"

Elizabeth explained, "Jack was assigned to patrol the Village of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories a few weeks ago, but I telegrammed him, so I hope he'll be able to get here soon." Charles raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's really remote there . . . and cold – it's located right between two rivers. I hope the ice has broken so the rivers are navigable, otherwise he may not be able to get out of there any time soon." Elizabeth averted her eyes and said quietly, "I hope so too." Charles and Agatha glanced at each other with raised eyebrows over Elizabeth's head.

Elizabeth began removing her gloves and coat. "I'm going to go upstairs to visit Mother," Elizabeth said. Agatha asked, "Would you like something to eat first? You've had a long trip." Elizabeth shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm not hungry. The thought of eating . . . well, I'm just not up to it right now. Maybe I'll feel better at dinnertime."

Elizabeth turned to Charles and asked, "Are you staying for dinner, Charles?" Charles looked at Agatha and then back at Elizabeth. "If you'd like me to, of course I will. Anything I can do to help, you know that." Elizabeth smiled gratefully. "Yes, I know. You've always been such a good friend to our family." Elizabeth squeezed Charles' arm and then started walking up the grand staircase to her mother's bedroom.

Agatha and Charles watched Elizabeth for a moment and then moved aside to allow the butler to bring Elizabeth's luggage up the stairs after her. Agatha took Charles' arm and walked with him into the drawing room. As they were walking, Agatha pondered out loud, "Do you think Jack will be able to make it to the funeral?" Charles shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I don't know – the funeral is just a few days from now, and Fort Smith is a long way from here."

Agatha sighed. "Well, I know Elizabeth's parents had concerns about her marrying a Mountie. I'm sure she would not like to hear the words, 'I told you so.'"

Charles chuckled ruefully. "She would not, I can assure you. And I would not want to be in the same room if anyone dared to say that to her. I've felt the wrath of Elizabeth's temper . . . I'd prefer not to experience that again!"

Agatha lifted her chin. "Yes, Elizabeth's famous temper. Well, sometimes certain things need to be said. But I'll drop it for now. Hopefully that young man understands his duty to this family – he's the head of the family now, whether he realizes it or not."

Charles frowned, not liking the sound of that statement. Charles had been in line for that role, if only he had been able to convince Elizabeth to marry him instead of Jack. Charles still had not gotten over that disappointment, and often thought about how things could have gone differently for him and Elizabeth, if only she had not been so stubborn about staying in Hope Valley. Charles couldn't help but wonder whether William Thatcher's passing might change Elizabeth's mind about where her future lay.

Charles was brought out of his reverie by Agatha offering him a glass of sherry. Charles gladly took it, and sipped it slowly, thinking about all the changes that the Titanic's sinking was bringing - to the Thatcher family, to Hamilton Shipping, and to him as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Waiting and Wanting

The next evening, Elizabeth, Julie, Mrs. Thatcher, Aunt Agatha, and Charles were in the drawing room having cocktails before dinner. Julie turned to Aunt Agatha and asked, "Is everything set for the funeral tomorrow?" Aunt Agatha nodded. "Yes. I told the Pastor to expect a full house – all of Hamilton society will be coming."

Mrs. Thatcher said quietly, "I wish Viola and Lionel could be there." Aunt Agatha replied, "We discussed this, Grace. Viola and Lionel just got back from their Grand Tour of Europe, and Lionel has too many responsibilities with his estate in England right now. They promised to come for a visit this summer." Mrs. Thatcher nodded sadly.

Julie turned to Elizabeth and asked, "Have you heard from Jack? Do you have any idea where he is?" Elizabeth shook her head and replied, "His latest telegram just said he was still trying to make his way to Hamilton. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to get here."

Mrs. Thatcher consoled Elizabeth, "I'm sure he is too. I'll be so pleased to see Jack again. The last time we spoke was last summer." Mrs. Thatcher paused. "That was a happy time – celebrating two weddings." Mrs. Thatcher brought her handkerchief to her eyes to dry her tears.

Elizabeth and Julie both reached over to comfort their mother. Elizabeth assured her, "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but there will be happy times for us again one day. I'm certain of it." Mrs. Thatcher nodded her head, but seemed unconvinced.

The butler came into the room and announced that dinner was ready to be served. As everyone stood up, Charles said, "Mrs. Thatcher, I'm not able to stay for dinner tonight, but I will see you at the funeral tomorrow." Mrs. Thatcher nodded at Charles and replied, "I understand. Elizabeth, please see Charles to the door – we'll wait for you in the dining room."

Elizabeth walked with Charles to the front foyer. "Thank you, Charles, for being here the last few days – it's been really helpful for my mother," Elizabeth said warmly. Charles raised his eyebrows, "And for you too?" Elizabeth smiled and admitted, "Yes, me too." Charles looked at Elizabeth meaningfully and was about to say something else when, suddenly, Elizabeth frowned and started looking around on the floor.

"What is it?" Charles asked. Elizabeth pulled her skirt up a bit and kept looking on the floor. Elizabeth said anxiously, "I can't seem to find the gold bracelet I was wearing tonight. My father gave it to me as a gift for my debutante ball. Maybe it fell off in the drawing room." Elizabeth rushed back to the drawing room, Charles following her. The two of them walked back and forth, searching the floor.

"Maybe it fell under the furniture," Charles proposed, getting down on his knees and looking under the sofa. Then Charles felt behind one of the sofa cushions and cried out, "Voila – here it is!" Charles held up the thin strand of gold victoriously. Elizabeth, relieved, reached out for it. Charles suggested, "Why don't you sit on the sofa and I'll put it on you." Elizabeth sat down and held out her arm.

Charles sat next to Elizabeth and gently clasped the bracelet around her wrist. Charles fingers rested on Elizabeth's wrist a few moments, as he ostensibly admired her bracelet. "It's very beautiful . . . just like you are, Elizabeth," Charles intoned, looking into Elizabeth's eyes meaningfully. Elizabeth stared back at Charles in shock, and started to pull her hand out of his grasp. "Charles, please . . . ," Elizabeth stuttered.

Before either of them could say another word, the butler appeared at the entrance of the room and announced formally, "Mr. Jack Thornton." The butler moved aside and revealed Jack, taking off his coat and gloves, breathing hard from coming in from the cold. "Jack!" Elizabeth jumped up and ran over to him, "You made it!" Elizabeth cried out, almost knocking Jack down as she fell into his arms.

Jack embraced Elizabeth warmly, as she buried her head in his chest. Over Elizabeth's shoulder, however, Jack stared at Charles and said curtly, "Hello, Charles." Jack had seen Charles lingering – inappropriately, in his view – over Elizabeth's wrist, and was none too pleased. Charles rose from the sofa and hastened his retreat. "Jack, I'm glad you could make it - I was just leaving. I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral."

Charles strode out of the room by the side door, giving the couple a wide berth. As he retrieved his coat and hat from the butler, Charles glanced back to see if Elizabeth was looking at him, but instead saw the couple engaging in a deep, passionate kiss. Charles caught his breath and looked away, chiding himself, once again, for continuing to pine for Elizabeth. Charles left the house as quickly as he could.

After their welcome back kiss, Elizabeth excitedly pulled Jack into the dining room, to the delight of the female family members waiting there. Jack went around the table hugging everyone, and spent extra time with Mrs. Thatcher to offer his condolences. The conversation at dinner was a welcome distraction as Jack related his latest adventures patrolling the Northwest Territories.

During dinner, Jack turned to Julie and asked, "How are your nursing classes going?" Julie replied happily, "Very well. I'll be graduating this summer, and hopefully starting a job somewhere as a real nurse, not just a volunteer." Jack nodded and commented, "Your nursing skills will always come in handy – half the work I do involves fixing people's injuries."

Aunt Agatha cut in, "Julie is dating a doctor now." Jack looked at Julie with raised eyebrows. Julie shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Yes, his name is Jonathon. He'll be at the funeral tomorrow. He's very nice and very good at what he does." Elizabeth teased, "Is he courting you?" Julie rolled her eyes and said, "No, no . . . we've just been out to dinner a few times." Elizabeth was enjoying teasing her sister about her love life, rather than the other way around!

Julie hesitated and then asked, "And how is Tom doing? Have you heard from him?" Jack answered, "The last I heard he was still working at the quarry at Fort McNeil and doing well there. I think he may have even gotten a promotion." Mrs. Thatcher offered, "Maybe after the funeral you could try to visit Tom. It's important, Jack, to stay in touch with family." Jack nodded in agreement; Jack appreciated that Mrs. Thatcher was willing to speak about Tom at all, considering that Tom had tried to run away with Julie the previous year!

During dinner, Jack noticed that Elizabeth was barely eating anything, and appeared thinner than usual, and pale. Jack knew it had been a rough year for Elizabeth, between the miscarriage, Jack being away, and now her father dying. Jack had always considered Elizabeth to be a strong person, but reasoned that recent circumstances might be making Elizabeth frailer than usual. Jack resolved to be as solicitous of Elizabeth as he could.

During the dessert course, Mrs. Thatcher turned to Elizabeth and suggested, "Elizabeth, dear, if you and Jack want to skip after-dinner drinks tonight, that's fine. You look tired, dear, and I'm sure Jack is tired too from his trip." Elizabeth asked, "Are you sure? Don't you want us to spend more time with you tonight?" Mrs. Thatcher assured her, "I'm probably going to head up early tonight anyway. I know it's going to be a trying day tomorrow . . . ."

Elizabeth rose from her seat and went over to hug her mother. Elizabeth whispered, "I love you so much." Mrs. Thatcher patted Elizabeth's arm and replied, "I love you too."

Later that evening, as Elizabeth and Jack were getting ready for bed, Jack heard Elizabeth sigh as she was brushing her hair, seated before her vanity. Jack walked over to Elizabeth and put his hands on her shoulders. "What are you thinking about – do you want to talk about it?" Jack asked.

Elizabeth put her hairbrush down, looked up at Jack, and started unburdening herself. "Oh, Jack, I feel so guilty about not having seen my father in months, and now . . . he's gone, and I'll never see him again." Elizabeth started weeping. Jack knelt down before Elizabeth and gathered her in his arms. "Elizabeth, it's natural to feel that way. No matter what we do, we're always going to feel that we didn't do enough for the people we love. But your father was proud of you, and all that you have achieved teaching in Hope Valley."

Elizabeth looked up at Jack and added emphatically, "And marrying you – I know he was proud of that too. He told me at Viola's wedding he knew you were a good man - a man of honor and integrity. He said he could tell we were very much in love, and he told me how happy he was for me . . . and for us."

Tears came to Jack's eyes hearing Elizabeth's words, and he admitted, "I appreciate hearing that, Elizabeth. I wish I had gotten to know your father better. I know how much you admired him."

Elizabeth stood up and let Jack embrace her in a big bear hug. Elizabeth enjoyed the feeling of being enveloped in Jack's arms, and the heat of his body against hers – she had been missing that since his departure for Fort Smith six weeks ago. Elizabeth looked up at Jack and pleaded, "Will you make love to me tonight?" Jack caressed Elizabeth's face, and answered, "Of course, I would love too. I just didn't know if you were up for it."

Elizabeth started to rub Jack's back. "I need you, Jack. I need to be with you . . . in that way. I want to feel alive again – I feel like I've been numb for weeks." Upon hearing those words, Jack immediately leaned down and kissed Elizabeth with his own pent-up desire and passion, which had now been unleashed.

The couple made love as if they were trying to make up for six weeks of lost time. Afterwards, they both fell asleep, sated for the time being.

In the middle of the night, Elizabeth tugged at Jack to wake him up. "Jack, I have something to tell you." Jack grunted, "Umm," in a sleepy daze. Elizabeth announced quietly, "I think I'm pregnant." Jack was silent for a moment as he took in those words. "You can tell that . . . already?" Jack asked hesitatingly. "No, silly," Elizabeth laughed. "Not from tonight - I think I'm six weeks pregnant, from before you left for Fort Smith." Jack, more awake now, acknowledged, "Oh . . . okay, that makes more sense. "

Elizabeth giggled, and then laughed, and then started to laugh hysterically. Jack at first tried to shush Elizabeth, but then fell victim to Elizabeth's contagious laughter, and began to laugh himself. The two of them put their pillows over their faces to try to muffle the noise, but that only made them laugh even harder.

Elizabeth finally calmed down and said, "Wow. That was the first time I've laughed in days." Jack sat up and caressed Elizabeth's arms and kissed her hands. "This is such great news," Jack said, overcome with emotion. Elizabeth frowned and warned, "But let's not tell anyone this time. I mean, with the shock of my father's death, I might lose this baby too."

Jack shook his head and countered, "No, no . . . don't say that. The baby will be fine, I don't want you to worry." Elizabeth pressed her lips together and repeated, "Well, I still don't want to say anything to anyone for another six weeks at least. I want to be sure this time." Jack asked, "Is that why you weren't eating at dinner?" Elizabeth nodded and replied, "I haven't had much of an appetite for weeks, that's how I guessed that maybe I was pregnant again. And other things."

Elizabeth started to giggle again, and teased Jack, "Did you really think I could tell I was pregnant just a few hours after we made love?" Jack chuckled and said, "I didn't know what to think – I thought maybe it was your female intuition." Elizabeth continued teasing Jack. "You don't know much about making babies, do you – what happened, did you miss class that day?"

Jack grabbed Elizabeth playfully and pinned her to the bed. "Well, I suppose I need to take makeup lessons from you then, teacher." Elizabeth laughed and admonished, "As long as you don't think that each time we make love, we make another baby – you know it doesn't work like that, right?" Jack answered jokingly, "Yes, I know that, but I wouldn't mind if it did. I'd be happy to make lots of little Thorntons with you." Elizabeth's eyes went wide and she was speechless at the thought. Jack took that opportunity to kiss his wife's sweet but sassy mouth, pleased that their teasing was now turning to a subject he liked even more - lovemaking.


End file.
